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Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones thanks the city of Oxnard as part of opening day ceremonies and the official start of the Cowboys' NFL training camp, Saturday, July 26, 2014, in Oxnard, Calif. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)

Jerry Jones enjoys being the center of attention, which is exactly where he is following the release of photos showing him having too good of a time.

Jerry's WorldJerry Jones said that for five years he's known about the photos of him and two much, much younger women. That so happens to be how long it has been since the Cowboys last experienced a season in which they finished on the sunny side of .500. Indeed, things looked sunny for the smiley owner, GM, prez and wannabe head coach at that time and he certainly was not bashful about the manner in which he hammed it up in a Dallas restaurant where the photos in question were snapped. It was a Candid Camera moment that would have made Benny Hill blush.

The photos apparently are also misrepresentations, you see. I suppose one playoff victory in the last 17 -- 17! -- seasons is also some mirage and by no means indicative of the teams Jones has put together. Is it any wonder that while the anti-Cowboys establishment is probably enjoying every moment of this episode, Dallas fans far and wide have been seeing red from something that is by no means a misrepresentation, but something that has been floating on the surface in Valley Ranch for years: incompetence.

While it makes one wonder where these photos have been the past five years (if indeed Jones' recollection is sharper than his decision making), he has always craved and basked in the spotlight. That, of course, has meant having a part in just about everything pertaining to the day-to-day operations of the Cowboys. In fact, it was late last month that Jones remarked this season is not one of "make or break" for coach Jason Garrett. While that may prove to be the case, Jones had his "break" moment and it is (beyond) time to shed the many meddlesome hats he wears and regress solely to the owner's suite and remain out of view.

Is that is asking way too much?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown (12) drops back to pass during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, Fla., Friday, Aug. 8, 2014.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Game on

It does not apply in markets like Pittsburgh, for example, but the big news in Tampa this week is that Buccaneers home games will be televised. Fans throughout the region will be able to watch Josh McCown and the Lovie (Smith) dovie Bucs when playing in Raymond James Stadium this season. This revelation is not because the faithful have been beating on the windows of the ticket offices, but because the team announced it will buy up the necessary amount of unsold tickets in order to reach the threshold required for blackouts to be lifted.

It was one thing to have blackouts when, say, Vinny Testaverde and the rest of coach Ray Perkins' Bucs could not find their way to the huddle. That was the late 1980s. This is 2014 and it is rather NCAA-like of the NFL to have a rule that actually dates all the way to the seventies. It goes against the grain of everything fans have been exposed to in the 2010s. Instant score updates, video clips and the like? They are all easily accessible from the convenience of your own Smartphone, iPad or laptop. When it comes to marketing its product the league is most progressive as it continues to strike deals with various, well, progressive entities that deliver the game through the aforementioned means. So why continue with the blackouts? That is a topic that even an FCC commissioner has chimed in on.

Granted Testaverde's 35 interceptions in 1988 would not have made for quality viewing. But if you want to find out how Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are doing and you want to find out a minute ago? It is all a click away. Just like watching your home team on your 56-inch plasma should be.

Former thoroughbred helps ColtEdgerrin James is right. It is unfair to judge Trent Richardson based on the 14 games he played for the Colts last season. Being traded mid-season is difficult enough, not to mention the acclimation process off the field and learning a new system on the fly while on it. So, yeah, Richardson deserved a pass.

No passes will be handed out in 2014, though. The Colts are doing their part to help Richardson, the third-overall pick out of Alabama by the Browns in 2012, get out of the starting blocks. An average of 2.9 yards per tote won't cut it on an Andrew Luck-led team that maintains its championship aspirations.

A familiar face to the Colts, James was a fresh voice for Richardson. He is, after all, the franchise's all-time leading rusher and ranks 11th on the NFL's career rushing list with more than 12,000 yards. He knows a few things about the position, but more importantly James was somebody for Richardson to tap into.

Even though he is no longer in Cleveland, Richardson has to feel at least some pressure from being such a high selection. (Who knows when we will ever see a running back selected as high again.) Yet, the Colts do not need Richardson to run straight to the Pro Bowl. Rather, they need him to be a consistent contributor and help take some of the burden off Luck's right arm. He will receive every opportunity to do so, which is why James was enlisted.

AudiblesMaybe Roger Goodell will levy a one-training-camp-practice suspension on the fan who swung a helmet at Dallas cornerback B.W. Webb during Tuesday's brawl between the Cowboys and Raiders. Too harsh? Seriously, whenever fans get involved nothing good can result. The suits in the league's Park Avenue offices are likely scurrying to make sure something like this, a situation that could have resulted in injuries to players and fans, never happens again. The result will be less fan-friendly changes coming to a training camp near you. ... Super Bowl hangover can afflict teams that wound up on the short end of the scoreboard as well. The Broncos will have no such problem, though, as they experienced their hangover during their loss to Seattle. With that as a backdrop, it might seem refreshing that the boys are feisty in training camp. Well, Peyton Manning does not approve of the brouhahas that have broken out among teammates. Though he has stated he will play beyond this season, it makes you wonder if he is feeling a sense of desperation. ... Manziel Mania extends to the sports collectibles market where many of the QB's football cards have fetched four figures and even one that went for $10K-plus. It doesn't take much to get the frenzy going as collectors who once plunked down a grand or two on Tim Tebow cards will attest. ... While the ALS ice bucket challenge has been a fun way to promote the cause of a heinous disease with which nearly 6,000 people per year are diagnosed, I couldn't help but think of how many brain freezes Roger Goodell has already experienced this summer.